Remember HP CEO Meg Whitman's comments last month stating that her company needed to get [back] into the smartphone market in order to be successful on the global stage? While Whitman is certainly open to the idea of releasing another HP-branded smartphone, it's not coming any time soon.

"We don't have any plans to introduce a smartphone in 2013, but we've got to start thinking about what is our unique play, how do we capture this element of the personal computing market," said Whitman yesterday during a briefing on the company’s 2013 outlook.

The defunct HP Palm Pre 3

The fact that Whitman and HP are still trying to wrap their heads around what makes a successful smartphone is quite troubling. Apple and Google already have the market cornered with iOS and Android respectively in the smartphone game.

Whitman went on to add, "I believe that five years from now, if we don't have a smartphone or whatever the next generation of that device is, we'll be locked out of a huge segment of the population in many countries of the world."

quote: Whitman went on to add, "I believe that five years from now, if we don't have a smartphone or whatever the next generation of that device is, we'll be locked out of a huge segment of the population in many countries of the world."

To late! You are already locked out! Look at Kodak! They invented the digital camera ... and now they are an "also ran" company in the world of photography.The problem for HP isn't just they don't have anything credible on the market in terms of smartphones and tablets, nor that they don't plan to this year, nor that they don't plan to next year, the problem is they haven't seen the need to have a credible market presence in this arena for years. That is why they will end up like Kodak: a company that lives for patent fees and makes products that suit a section of industry and hobbyists.

"Game reviewers fought each other to write the most glowing coverage possible for the powerhouse Sony, MS systems. Reviewers flipped coins to see who would review the Nintendo Wii. The losers got stuck with the job." -- Andy Marken